Mint Julep with Boar Bones

I judged an annual Mint Julep contest with Four Roses Bourbon shortly before Derby. I know there are some of you that never would mess up your Bourbon with Mint, simple syrup or anything of the like. Louisville has some extremely talented mixologists.

I sampled 14 total "Rose Julep" cocktails with some very creative ingredients. From a “Star Fruit Julep” to a Mexican Horchata themed Julep.

The winner was Rory McCollister from Varanese using boar bones in a root beer simple syrup. Here's the recipe...

- In collins glass combine bourbon, simple and mint leaves and muddle to release mint oils.
- Add ice, transfer to mixing tin and shake. Then top with splash root beer and 1 oz. ginger ale.
- Shake lightly and transfer back to glass. garnish with fresh mint.
Serve with a Chocolate Cigar** with Mint Powder ashes*** as shown in photo

*ROOTBEER AND BOAR SIMPLE SYRUP INSTRUCTIONS

- Boil boar bones in root beer on low heat until liquid has reduced by half.
- Remove from heat strain liquid allow to cool and then strain again removing all solids.
- Add equal amount of sugar to liquid and boil low heat to dissolve.

CIGAR INSTRUCTIONS**

Spring roll shells
Chocolate
Caramel

- lay out spring roll sheet flat. Layer on chocolate and caramel.
- Roll as if it were a cigar.
- Deep fry until golden brown and then trim ends

Re: Mint Julep with Boar Bones

Wow!!

I will be the first to admit, there are some seriously talented mixologists out that create some incredible drinks. Unfortunately, there are so many bad bartenders out there that can only make mixed drinks in a blender that most people don't recognize the true art behind it all.

Hope is subversive, for it limits the grandiose pretensions of the present by calling into existence the possibility of something better.

Re: Mint Julep with Boar Bones

This seems crazy enough to be good. The boar bones are a bit sensationalistic but they probably just add gelatin / body to the root beer concoction. In any event, I'm intrigued, though the recipe seems a bit labor-intensive for a home chef especially given that it could go seriously awry.

Tom, given that you were the judge, I'd assume you liked it. Can you tell us a bit about how it tasted?

Re: Mint Julep with Boar Bones

Re: Mint Julep with Boar Bones

On two occasions in Japan I was served a cup of hot sake with two or three fugu (poison blowfish) fins on the saucer. The server lights the sake on fire. With your chopsticks you take the fugu fin or fins and roast them over the hazy blue flame, dunking them in the sake occasionally. Carefully. Then you either cap the sake or simply blow out the flame and enjoy. It's actually quite good, weird as it sounds.

Whether it's roasted fugu fins in sake, whole cobras marinated in some vile clear liquor, boar bones boiled in root beer, etc., nobody thinks up this kind of stuff while sober. And the later it gets the weirder the stuff that's brought out in many places.

Alcohol gives rise to fits of artistic inspiration. Many of the greatest ancient Chinese and Japanese poets were notorious drunks.

Art has many forms. Sometimes, though, the liquor is the paint, the toilet is the canvas.